Tales of the Portal: Part 1
by Beyoncece and Miss Lib
Summary: Join OC's Alexandra and Ardell in a fantastical adventure of extraordinary possibilities as they travel through different dimensions searching for home. First up: Final Fantasy VII! ON TEMPORARY HIATUS
1. Prologue

**A/N:**** Beyoncece: Months after we created our profile, we have finally posted it: our first story! Drum roll please... Without further ado, here is our first chapter! **

**Miss Lib: Enjoy, and please review :D**

**Prologue: Saying Goodbye**

It was getting close to midnight and Alexandra sat on her bed, thinking. She knew she would have to leave tomorrow to continue on her journey, but she had grown accustomed to her new friends during her stay with them. She did not want to leave, especially not so soon. But she had no other choice; her journey was of the utmost importance. She could not abandon it. As she shifted so she lay underneath the covers of her bed, she thought to her herself, _Who knows? Hopefully I will see them again_. She then fell asleep.

The next day:

Alexandra awoke to gentle beams of sunlight hitting her face through a crack in the heavy curtains covering the window. It was surprisingly bright out, especially for a place more accustomed to heavy snowfall than any sort of sun. She quietly got out of her bed and changed into her clothes, not wanting to wake any nearby vampires. While Alexandra was an accomplished fighter, she knew her limits – fighting a pissed off, sleep-deprived vampire, she could do. But winning was a different matter entirely.

With that in mind, she wandered around the dimly lit castle until she found the room she had been searching for: the kitchen. Why vampires would need a kitchen, she had no idea. It's not like they cooked what they ate. Then again, Michael had said something about living here before he and Ardell became vampires; maybe that had something to do with it. Speaking of Michael…she was rather surprised to see him up this early (or late, depending on which way she thought about it), and even more surprised that he had made her breakfast. It smelled good.

"Not too bad for someone who hasn't eaten cooked food in over 30,000 years," Alex teased as she sat down at the table off to the side of the room. Michael smiled. "You don't know if it's good. You haven't tried any of it yet." Her eyes widened as she ate a forkful of the eggs. This was amazing! Before long, her entire plate was empty and she finally felt full. She hadn't had food that good in a while. Not since her mother had… No, she would not think about that. Not today. She wanted to spend the rest of the day with her friends, happy, not burdened with guilt. She'd done enough of that already to last a lifetime.

"So where's Ardell?" She had not seen the female vampire for several days now, and was starting to get worried. What if she got hurt and they could not find her because they had no idea where she was? Or what if, god forbid, she died? Alex didn't think she would be able to function if that happened, as unlikely as it was. Ardell was more than capable of taking care of herself. She would be fine.

Michael smiled. "Well, you know her. No doubt she is hunting or killing something, like always," he said half-jokingly. They both laughed. Ardell really would, too. It was almost like a hobby for her. "I figured she would be doing something like that, but that's why we love her!" she replied happily. They both laughed again. Alexandra and Michael talked for what seemed like hours. She was so happy to be there, just talking to someone who understood her. She would really miss him after she left.

Ardell returned some time later. She was covered in blood and was absolutely filthy, but Alex did not care. She ran to her friend and lunged, arms open wide, determined to give her a hug. Unfortunately for Alex, Ardell saw her coming and used her power to avoid it, disappearing for a moment and emerging from a shadow on the opposite end of the large kitchen. Alexandra fell with a thud and landed flat on her face, much to her friends' amusement. As she got back up, she heard Ardell say, "Better luck next time, perhaps." She turned to her friend and glared; she swore she saw a smirk on the Dark Princess's lips.

Michael laughed and would have helped his sister tease Alexandra as well, but one of his servants informed him that Prince Alexander of Huria had arrived, and would he please meet with him at once? He found he could no more say no to such a request than he could cut off his own hand. Besides, it would not do well to offend one of his allies. Or his lover.

Alex and Ardell found themselves alone with each other and a rather tense silence filled the room. Alexandra was visibly upset that she had to leave soon, no matter how much she did not want to. She began to tear up and finally broke down.

"Thank you so much Ardell!" She began to weep. "You helped me so much; you raised my hopes and brought my happiness back. I owe so much to you. I love you just like my sister!" She said as she began to go in for a hug once again. Ardell could feel her sadness and awkwardly tried to comfort her. Although Ardell did not say it, she would miss Alexandra now that she found the girl's presence somewhat bearable.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

She left in the night after many tearful goodbyes and began the seven day ride to the forest at the bottom of the mountain, where her adventures with Ardell and Michael began. The trip to the forest was, thankfully, uneventful and without injury, although her butt was a little sore from the saddle. Now she remembered why she did not like riding horses.

After getting off that wretched horse the people here called transportation, Alexandra walked into a clearing within the forest. Once she was sure no one else was around, she opened her palms and a white light appeared before her. She walked through the light with remorse in her eyes. When she exited she found a desert wasteland with a huge machine in the center of a crater. She knew this was not her world, so she stepped back into the portal to return home. If only she had stayed longer. She would have witnessed an extraordinary battle. As soon as she left, the clear sky became black. A battle was brewing.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Two titans clashed. Cloud swung his blade with all his might, trying to kill the man he had once admired so greatly. With each attack, Cloud felt more alive than ever, finally having a reason to live again.

It was an epic battle. Cloud attacked fiercely, only to be easily blocked and counterattacked by Sephiroth. He could feel his body start to weaken, but he refused to give up. He continued his furious onslaught, unleashing a flurry of attacks, all of which Sephiroth blocked. In a moment of weakness, Cloud stumbled, and Sephiroth took advantage of the opening, stabbing Cloud in the shoulder. Cloud could feel the pain radiating from his shoulder and watched as his blood slowly dripped down his opponent's bade. Sephiroth began an assault of vicious blows, striking him over and over again. Sephiroth was about to land his final blow when Cloud's strength suddenly returned. He shot up in the air, following the silver-haired man, and five blades suddenly surrounded them. Before Sephiroth could react, Cloud attacked quickly, finally slaying the dark creature that had caused the planet, and Cloud personally, so much pain.

Cloud and his friends were overjoyed that the great evil was once more defeated. Sephiroth disappeared in a flurry of feathers which were soon swept away by the wind, never to be seen again. Or so everyone thought.

The feathers flew across the continent for days, until they reached the portal Alexandra had left behind. Sephiroth's feathers traveled through the portal, exiting in a forest. It began to snow as Sephiroth was once again reborn with only one thought in his head: to rain terror upon this new, strange world he found himself in. But first, he needed to rest. He was so very tired…


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N****: ****Miss Lib: So, this chapter is kinda short, but they'll get longer, we promise! A quick thank you to everyone who read this fanfic, and an even bigger thank you to the people who reviewed...But if you think this fic sucks, please at least say WHY you think it sucks.**

**Anyway, on with the chapter!**

**Chapter 1: Discovery**

"So…tonight is beautiful, is it not?"

It truly was. Ardell looked up at the sky, taking in the sight of the stars glowing brightly against the darkness, the moon half-hidden by a passing cloud. It was unusually warm for this time of year, despite the fact that it was summer; living on the northernmost part of the continent, it was never very warm, and snow was constantly present. But with such warm weather, some of the snow had begun to melt – a rare occurrence. She turned away from the magnificent sight before her, looking back at her brother, replying with a simple, "Yes, it is."

"But…? He pressed. "Something is bothering you." Which was true enough, she supposed. Ardell felt rather uneasy, although she did not fully understand why. Sure, there was the Wolfking and his servants to deal with, as well as the occasional human warband attempting to invade their territory, but the patrols she had sent out earlier in the week could deal with them easily.

Unfazed by her silence, her brother continued. "You have been rather distant since Alexandra left. I know the two of you were becoming close, but do you miss her that much already? Just a few months ago the two of you were ready to kill each other."

Ah, yes. Ardell smiled at the memory. "That is true," she replied. "But that is not why. I – I cannot explain it-" She paused, trying to find the right words. "I simply feel that something will happen soon, something important. But I do not know when, or why."

Michael ceased his walking around the parapet, pondering his sister's words. Although she was usually right about such things, he did not know what would cause his sister to feel so, especially now that they were finally free and in their rightful places in society once again. His thoughts were interrupted, however, as he was called inside; one of his advisers wished to speak with him.

Ardell stayed on the parapet long after her brother left, watching the stars. As the night moved on, her feeling of foreboding steadily grew. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, she could not completely remove it from her mind. She watched as the starlight gradually grew dimmer and the sky began to grow lighter with the rising of the sun. It had been so long since she'd seen a sunrise, seen the wonderful hues of pink and orange and purple that heralded the sun's arrival. She decided to stay, only returning inside briefly to retrieve her cloak. When she returned, however, something had changed, and it was not the sky. Something was…falling, although from where she could not say. From such a distance it was impossible to make out exactly what it was. The only detail she could see clearly was its wing, covered in (rather soft-looking) black feathers. As Ardell watched, the creature – obviously unconscious – ceased its rapid descent as it crashed somewhere in the forest below. Although she would probably regret her actions later, her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to go see this strange new creature for herself.

After all, being a little curious never really hurt anyone, right?


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Miss Lib: Sorry for the long wait. Both my co-author and myself have been busy applying to colleges, stressing over midyear exams and getting ready for prom (I'm also getting ready for a trip to Spain with my school in April during spring break). Add to that multiple essays for my AP Lit class, new schedules and building a trebuchet for my physics class, as well as Beyoncece's many art projects, essays, etc. and, well, that doesn't really leave a lot of time for anything else. **

**So, finally, here's a new chapter. Enjoy! Next one will hopefully be up soon(-ish).  
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**Chapter 2: The Encounter**

Ardell dismounted and unceremoniously collapsed in a heap, exhausted and saddle-sore. It had taken her three days to reach the spot in the forest where that strange being had landed. After traveling by horse, nonstop, for three days, she thought she deserved a break. All she wanted to do was rest, at least for a little while. But she was so close! Just a few more steps and she would finally know what exactly that _thing_ was. Determined, she pushed herself back up, tethered Sunshine to a tree and quietly walked towards the clearing, trying to make as little noise as possible – no easy feat in a snow-covered forest. Hopefully, it would still be there…

_Oh._ Ardell blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out if she was hallucinating. The thing that had fallen out of the sky was a...man? A man with a black, feather-covered wing protruding from one of his shoulders. That was disappointing; she thought it would be something far more interesting. While he certainly looked dangerous enough even while unconscious, his "badass look" (as Alexandra would say) was slightly ruined by his hair. Ardell was certain that, had he been seen by the general population, his long, knee-length silver hair would be the envy of many, both male and female.

Whatever he was, the man certainly was not human – not fully, at least. And he definitely was not one of her people; he did not smell dead. He was, in fact, very much alive: she could hear his heartbeat clearly from her position, hidden in the trees. Suddenly he groaned, startling her slightly. He was waking up. Good. Perhaps he could answer a few questions: what his name was and where he was from, to begin with. But first, she needed to tell her brother of her discovery.

Ardell quietly began to back away, never taking her eyes off the man laying only a few feet away from her. She had to be extremely careful, now more than ever. If he was anything like herself – or many of the warriors she had trained with, for that matter – he would not take kindly to being surprised by anything while still disoriented, to put it delicately. She doubted he would be able to do much in his current state, but it was better to be careful than not.

Unfortunately for her, Ardell was paying too much attention to the man in front of her and not enough to her surroundings. A loud crack echoed throughout the forest as her foot landed on a fallen branch. As the man's vibrant green eyes opened, she froze; maybe if she stayed still he would not notice her. But luck, it seemed, was not on her side today.

Before she could react, the winged man lunged at her. Ardell barely dodged the blow, drawing her own swords in the process. He thought he could best her, did he? Well, she'd soon show him the error of his ways. She moved to attack her apparently unarmed opponent, only to have a ridiculously long sword pointed at her. It was almost as if he had pulled it out of the air, but that was not possible. Was it?

She brought her attention back to the battle at hand just in time to block a blow aimed at her face. That was close – too close. The stranger attacked again and again, relentlessly, forcing Ardell to take a more defensive stance. He was abnormally strong for a human (or half human; she didn't really know exactly what he was). Still, she was determined to defeat him; she would not lose to anyone, especially not this man, whatever he was.

The battle continued, both of them weakening fast. Ardell knew she needed to end this, and soon. Her eyes began to change, going from an eerie silver to a terrifying red as her teeth elongated, transforming into fangs. Filled with a sudden burst of strength, she quickly ran towards her silver-haired adversary and slashed open his leg with one of her knives, her swords long since lost. She was quite satisfied with the resulting cry of pain, no matter how short. Taking advantage of his momentary weakness, Ardell moved to finish him off. Suddenly, a great force pushed her and she felt a sharp pain in her side as she was thrown aside, hitting a large tree. As she staggered to her feet the man pulled her up harshly by her hair and threw her into yet another tree. She hoped this was not becoming a pattern – that would just be irritating, Ardell quickly got back up, despite the pain from the impact. Now she was angry. She was no longer in the mood for this; she wanted to to see him in pieces.

She had lost her swords and her long knives. All she had were three throwing knives, which was better than nothing, although she doubted they would make much of a difference considering the sword her opponent wielded, a monstrosity which had to be at least seven feet long from hilt to tip. Nevertheless, she would not give up.

With all her strength she threw her remaining knives, hoping to at least slow him down long enough to retrieve one of her fallen weapons, attack him, _something_. Two of them missed completely as the silver-haired man dodged them, one becoming embedded deep in the bark of a tree. The other just...disappeared. One thankfully managed to hit his shoulder, slowing him down for a moment. She had to act fast. Ardell ran as fast as she could, intent on ending the life of the man foolish enough to attempt to kill her, and was about to land a killing blow when she felt her feet leave the ground as she flew backwards. She immediately tensed, expecting to hit yet another tree when she saw a flash of bright light and she landed on the dirt-covered ground, hard.

_Wait...dirt?_ Where the hell was she? Not home, of that she was certain. If that were the case, she would have landed on snow, not dirt. With that realization, Ardell quickly got to her feet, tense, and examined the strange new place she now found herself in. There was not much to look at, really. Just dirt and rocks – really, really big rocks. Everything was the same reddish-brown color. She turned in a circle, mentally cataloging the environment. She saw rocks, rocks, more rocks -

- And a dead body. A body with a very familiar knife embedded deep in its chest. Ardell smiled for the first time in a long time as she walked over and reclaimed her lost knife, returning it to its proper place in one of the two hidden sheaths up her sleeves. She still had some luck left after all, it seemed. Now if only she had her other knives. And her swords. Ardell sighed. She missed her swords terribly. She did not need them in order to defend herself, but it had been so long since she had gone anywhere without them that she now felt naked without them, a feeling which only made her even more irritable than usual.

There was a noise and Ardell turned around swiftly in the direction it came from, looking for its source. She quickly found what she was looking for; one of the relatively smaller rocks – more like a small boulder, really – had fallen from the top of one of the many rock piles littering the area. Ardell did not think anyone was watching her, but she could not be certain; the strange smells of this place were overwhelming. She could hear no heartbeats, but that meant nothing. Ardell herself was proof of that. Now that she thought about it, she heard nothing except for the wind as it blew over rock. There were no people, no animals. It was unnatural.

She had to get out of here. But she could not find the portal. And since she could not find the portal, she had no way to get home. She was trapped.

Ardell ignored her steadily rising panic in the same manner she dealt with nearly everything else – she shoved it to the back of her mind, electing to deal with more important issues. Like shelter. The sun would be rising soon, that she knew for certain, and her cloak was nowhere to be found. Without it she would surely burn to death unless she found somewhere relatively safe to hide until dark.

Using the shadows as her eyes, she searched for some form of shelter as she could not find any in her current location and it would take far too long to search on foot. The first several locations she tried yielded nothing other than images of large crowds of people, all dressed in strange clothing and surrounded by impossibly high buildings. She searched farther and farther out until her vision finally showed her a forest of some kind. Not bothering to examine the image further – she was running out of time, after all – Ardell stepped into the shadows, allowing them to take her to her destination.

Although it happened whenever she did this, the pain was still...unexpected. She only had a moment to take it all in – the otherworldly forest, the blood pouring from both old and new injuries – before she fell to the ground, unconscious, while her blood stained the grass beneath her body.


End file.
